Air Conditioner

[MikeS]

Portable, so suitable for rental aircraft. Independent of aircraft's power. Self contained.

Just, possibly, the thing to put in the cockpit/fuselage half an hour before departure when getting ready to fly a heat-soaked airplane that's been sitting on the ramp for two days since last flight at some Orange County FBO. . . . or some place in Florida, Texas or even Bahrain.

Not expensive.

Does it work?

Haven't the slightest idea but if half the advertisement is accurate, this might be something very important to put on the pre-flight list?

Has anyone looking into this? It may only be good for a couple hours of continuous use but that's long enough to cool off pilot & passengers when entering a heat-soaked aircraft or upon landing at a heat-soaked destination.

Dunno . . . Just another technological wonder that may or may not work.

https://tinyurl.com/5en35a6b

Mike

 

[Brad Z]

That is a fan. An expensive fan. That sprays water. Not an AC.

 

[MikeS]

Is this just a small, portable swamp cooler?

If so, swamp coolers work great if humidity is low - Nevada, Arizona, even SoCal to some extent. Maybe not so good for Texas, Florida. Even in these humid environments the cool, humid air of a swamp cooler can be better than nothing . . . and these things are cheap enough . . . .

Downsides?

 

[MikeS]

That is a fan. An expensive fan.

Didn't you read the instructions at all?? Of course it has a fan. It also apparently has some type of cooling apparatus to lower the temperature of the air. Sound like it might be water. Evaporative. A small swamp cooler perhaps. They're not expensive and might be worth it. Why express an opinion if you haven't looked into it?

This isn't the only brand. I've seen these advertised in other places.

 

[Brad Z]

Didn't you read the instructions at all?? Of course it has a fan. It also apparently has some type of cooling apparatus to lower the temperature of the air. Sound like it might be water. Evaporative. A small swamp cooler perhaps. They're not expensive and might be worth it. Why express an opinion if you haven't looked into it?

This isn't the only brand. I've seen these advertised in other places.

Re read my message. I didn't finish my post.

It's a swamp cooler. A misting fan. It will add humidity to your cockpit and not drop the temperature. I you could get one of these for less...

https://www.amazon.com/O2COOL-Deluxe-Misting-Fan/dp/B07GBNNW2W

 

[ktup-flyer]

Plugs into the cigarette outlet.... not sure why you need something that doesn't run off ship's power
https://www.b-kool.net/

 

[Salty]

In Florida it’ll make it worse.

 

[sourdough44]

Back in the day I flew out of MS, Summer & Winter. I got by with hydration then climbing a bit, crack the door during taxi. I just felt the ship mounted units take precious weight, maybe some power for the little benefit. The portable units seem like a bother to deal with.

I guess I’m getting old school, don’t feel the need to put $$ into an autopilot either. Yes I know spouses factor in, can be a wildcard.

 

[Duke3478]

I just bit the lure and plunked down $1500 for an actual portable a/c with a (supposedly) three-hour battery. Advertised weight is 17lbs. I can live with that. Hot air vents out a 3" tube I'm considering running to the tail inspection panel.

I know it's hot in TX. I know it's hot in FL. And I know it's "just a dry heat" but buddy 130° is 130°and if you think that's a made up number you've never been on an asphalt ramp in AZ or Vegas.

I'll report back on my results. I like to commute to work (lucky enough to work at an airport) a few times a month and in summer it's punishing. Fingers crossed!

 

[LesGawlik]

What model did you get?

 

[tspear]

I went with a large ice/heat pack for back pain. Freeze the pack overnight, and strap it on. Lighter, cheaper, and more efficient than A/C.

Tim

Sent from my HD1907 using Tapatalk

 

[Tantalum]

if half the advertisement is accurate

Didn't you read the instructions at all?

The website alone would make me think this is a gimmick.. a stock photo of a couple in a home too beautiful not to have AC and a box that blows leaves, ice cubes, and blue air around the house. Advertising that is as misleading as this should be illegal and punishable by permanent banishment from the United States

This appears to be an evaporating cooler, a small one.. the site makes no mention of BTUs and uses dressed up dubious data points to woo unsuspecting people into throwing $178 (no, wait, $89 if you call in the next five minutes!!) into the garbage

In a dry environment this *can* work, the physics tie out.. but this will be useless in just about any place outside of Arizona or the Atacama desert

The site also says in rapid cool mode it "pumps out" 2.7 meters per second of air. They use a metric measurement since people here don't understand anything outside of "mph" .. but if you do the math (about 3 feet in a meter, 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, ~5,280 ft in a mile) this is only a roughly 6 mph breeze.. or about 5 knots. It's basically going to be equivalent to the $5 misting fans you see in the checkout at Dollar Tree.. or less. 5 knots is very light

--
Unfortunately there's no real shortcut to actual air conditioning for planes. Sportys and other places sell overpriced Igloo coolers that you fill with ice and use a $3 PC fan to blow air around the cockpit.. not sure why we never adopted the Soviet tech of just placing fans in the cockpit



Sorry for the intensely worded post. I just didn't think people fell for infomercial stuff.

 

[Tantalum]

https://www.b-kool.net/

I always felt $300 is steep.. and for that much coin this looks like little more than a dryer hose, rebranded Igloo cooler, and PC fan (though I know there's a bit more on the inside).. but they could have done a little to make it seem "less home made"

to that point, has anyone tried making one of these? Might be a fun project for someone to geek out on.. get some junkyard automotive heat exchangers, store some antifreeze in the freezer overnight, could be a fun weekend project.

 

[Samuel Seidel]

Blaux Portable AC (Be Careful Before You Buy) - Krazy Ken's Tech Talk

 

[idahoflier]

I always felt $300 is steep.. and for that much coin this looks like little more than a dryer hose, rebranded Igloo cooler, and PC fan (though I know there's a bit more on the inside).. but they could have done a little to make it seem "less home made"

to that point, has anyone tried making one of these? Might be a fun project for someone to geek out on.. get some junkyard automotive heat exchangers, store some antifreeze in the freezer overnight, could be a fun weekend project.

I have thought the same. Although I think I would just stick with the Coleman cooler, dryer hose and a fan. Rather than get fancy I think dry ice would work well as long as the intake for air is outside the aircraft. Then no worries about spilling water or other fluids. IDK if there would be corrosion concerns in a humid environment?

Edit: Also, if this is just for the home base, a person could just buy a cheap 5,000 BTU AC at one of the big box stores and adapt a dryer hose to go into the aircraft...

 

[Llewtrah381]

I always felt $300 is steep.. and for that much coin this looks like little more than a dryer hose, rebranded Igloo cooler, and PC fan (though I know there's a bit more on the inside).. but they could have done a little to make it seem "less home made"

to that point, has anyone tried making one of these? Might be a fun project for someone to geek out on.. get some junkyard automotive heat exchangers, store some antifreeze in the freezer overnight, could be a fun weekend project.

Yes. I made one with a 28 qt Coleman cooler from WM, a 4” bilge fan, a bilge pump, a heater core from a Ford F-150, I think (1999? About $20 new at Auto Zone), and the lid part of the big sprinkler control box at HD (the lid is about 12x17). Works really well. Was about $120 all in, I think.

Some lessons learned: I’d go with a small 12v fountain pump next time. Less expensive plus much lower flow; too high a flow melts the ice too quickly (you get air WAY colder than you need and the ice is gone too fast). In fact, even with that I’d suggest doing what I did and get some rotary PWM switches to control both the pump and the fan, to maximize the ice plus control the fan speed. About $5 on Amazon.

I’ve seen people talk about using computer muffin fans and I can’t imagine those would put out near enough air to cool a whole plane of any size. The bilge fan puts out a lot and, being 4”, you can use PVC sewer fittings for ducts. The PWM switch makes it completely controllable.

Also, the nice thing about this cooler and lid is you can still use it as a real ice chest at the other end. Works great for OSH.

A bigger cooler is an option but it weighs more and you really just need this for takeoff and landing. Works fine for a few cycles of that for a long cross country. Plus, if you freeze water bottles and put in a little water to be circulated, you have cold water at the other end.

Full fan and pump draws about 8 amps. The PWMs are nice because partial pump or fan actually decreases amperage vs. a resistive rotary switch.

 

[Tantalum]

Yes. I made one with a 28 qt Coleman cooler from WM, a 4” bilge fan, a bilge pump, a heater core from a Ford F-150, I think (1999? About $20 new at Auto Zone), and the lid part of the big sprinkler control box at HD (the lid is about 12x17). Works really well. Was about $120 all in, I think.

Some lessons learned: I’d go with a small 12v fountain pump next time. Less expensive plus much lower flow; too high a flow melts the ice too quickly (you get air WAY colder than you need and the ice is gone too fast). In fact, even with that I’d suggest doing what I did and get some rotary PWM switches to control both the pump and the fan, to maximize the ice plus control the fan speed. About $5 on Amazon.

I’ve seen people talk about using computer muffin fans and I can’t imagine those would put out near enough air to cool a whole plane of any size. The bilge fan puts out a lot and, being 4”, you can use PVC sewer fittings for ducts. The PWM switch makes it completely controllable.

Also, the nice thing about this cooler and lid is you can still use it as a real ice chest at the other end. Works great for OSH.

A bigger cooler is an option but it weighs more and you really just need this for takeoff and landing. Works fine for a few cycles of that for a long cross country. Plus, if you freeze water bottles and put in a little water to be circulated, you have cold water at the other end.

Full fan and pump draws about 8 amps. The PWMs are nice because partial pump or fan actually decreases amperage vs. a resistive rotary switch.

View attachment 96747 View attachment 96748 View attachment 96749

Really cool and great write up, thanks!

 

[Deelee]

Plugs into the cigarette outlet.... not sure why you need something that doesn't run off ship's power
https://www.b-kool.net/

Tup, what's the PIREP on this? Sort of interested in getting one.... maybe... possibly... maybe...... probably not, but still wonder if it actually works and is worth the $$.

 

[ktup-flyer]

Tup, what's the PIREP on this? Sort of interested in getting one.... maybe... possibly... maybe...... probably not, but still wonder if it actually works and is worth the $$.

I took one to Oshkosh last time and it was great. They definitely work

 

[Llewtrah381]

Really cool and great write up, thanks!

Then again there is a less expensive alternative…

 

[PaulS]

What really makes AC feel cooler is its ability to remove humidity from the air, which usually happens quicker than the temperature gets lowered. Most of these ice cube designs are pumping out cooler air, but at near 100% RH. Doesn't seem worth it to me. Crack the door, get up to a cooler altitude quickly.

 

[Llewtrah381]

What really makes AC feel cooler is its ability to remove humidity from the air, which usually happens quicker than the temperature gets lowered. Most of these ice cube designs are pumping out cooler air, but at near 100% RH. Doesn't seem worth it to me. Crack the door, get up to a cooler altitude quickly.

Yes and no. 100% humidity at, say, the 40 degree temp of the air coming out is the same as having air with a 40 degree dew point - which is decent in a humid environment. Not Phoenix-level dew point but much better than a 70 degree one.

They definitely work - but they’re not perfect or necessarily efficient. BTUs are BTUs (calories are calories). If you have X amount of ice it can only cool so many total BTUs/calories. In fact, I wonder what the dew point is coming out of a house AC in a humid area. I bet it’s above 40.

 

[Tantalum]

Then again there is a less expensive alternative…

View attachment 96808

This is awesome

 

[Daleandee]

Cold air units made from coolers will perform much better when you route the cold water through a small radiator and pass the air through it. Here's one example:

 

[Skip Miller]

I have thought the same. Although I think I would just stick with the Coleman cooler, dryer hose and a fan. Rather than get fancy I think dry ice would work well as long as the intake for air is outside the aircraft.

Dry ice is frozen CO2. I would not put a large source of CO2 into my cockpit without a CO2 detector to monitor the atmosphere in there. You need a “Canary in the coal mine” to be safe! -Skip

 

[idahoflier]

Dry ice is frozen CO2. I would not put a large source of CO2 into my cockpit without a CO2 detector to monitor the atmosphere in there. You need a “Canary in the coal mine” to be safe! -Skip

Yeah, I wouldn't advocate such a system for inflight use, just on the ramp to cool off the aircraft. Drawing air from outside may keep the CO2 to acceptable levels? I would think as soon as the doors were open the CO2 would spill out.

 

[Llewtrah381]

Got a link to this bad boy via Flying magazine in my email today. My apologies to anyone who is associated with Hamilton Motor Co. on this thread but that has to be one of the dumbest uses of a Yeti cooler I can think of (well - at least on the list). Ya don't need the ice in these coolers to stay ice for four days. And what makes Yeti coolers so wonderful for keeping stuff colder longer is at complete odds with what you REALLY want: max cooling capacity with minimum volume and weight. Those thick walls on the cooler dramatically reduce how much ice you can put in them and all the great sealing of the lid is made moot by the holes cut in the top.

If you're looking to get one or build one, keep in mind the more ice you have and the less weight and volume you end up with are good things. The whole point of these things is to melt the ice (to absorb cabin heat) - not preserve it. Better to use a much more basic one and maybe wrap it in Reflectix (or even car sun shades) to keep the sun from heating up the cooler than go this route.

 

[SoonerAviator]

Got a link to this bad boy via Flying magazine in my email today. My apologies to anyone who is associated with Hamilton Motor Co. on this thread but that has to be one of the dumbest uses of a Yeti cooler I can think of (well - at least on the list). Ya don't need the ice in these coolers to stay ice for four days. And what makes Yeti coolers so wonderful for keeping stuff colder longer is at complete odds with what you REALLY want: max cooling capacity with minimum volume and weight. Those thick walls on the cooler dramatically reduce how much ice you can put in them and all the great sealing of the lid is made moot by the holes cut in the top.

If you're looking to get one or build one, keep in mind the more ice you have and the less weight and volume you end up with are good things. The whole point of these things is to melt the ice (to absorb cabin heat) - not preserve it. Better to use a much more basic one and maybe wrap it in Reflectix (or even car sun shades) to keep the sun from heating up the cooler than go this route.

View attachment 98164

Yeah, but you can't be seen getting into your Cirrus with your Bose headphones and an Igloo cooler from Walmart. They'd laugh you right out of the FBO!

 

[PaulS]

Yeah, but you can't be seen getting into your Cirrus with your Bose headphones and an Igloo cooler from Walmart. They'd laugh you right out of the FBO!

Most cirrus' don't need the igloo air conditioner..... and the FBO whips out the chilled water when you pull up in one.

 

[flyingron]

Is this just a small, portable swamp cooler?

If so, swamp coolers work great if humidity is low - Nevada, Arizona, even SoCal to some extent. Maybe not so good for Texas, Florida. Even in these humid environments the cool, humid air of a swamp cooler can be better than nothing . . . and these things are cheap enough . . . .

Downsides?

This. It's similar to those things they have in the forum tents at Oshkosh only on a much smaller scale.

 

[CaptainXap]

Cold air units made from coolers will perform much better when you route the cold water through a small radiator and pass the air through it. Here's one example:

I like that cooler, but I wonder if it would be better to just put the radiator outside of the cooler, so you just have the tubes in and out of the radiator coming through the cooler lid. You could just add a couple of PC cooling fans to each side of the radiator to push and pull warm air from the plane past the cold water in the radiator. Also, that way the air doesn't pick up moisture from the evaporating water.

 

[Llewtrah381]

This. It's similar to those things they have in the forum tents at Oshkosh only on a much smaller scale.

Actually, no. Although the air does go in and out of the cooler and over the ice/water in the bottom, the actual cooling is from air going over a radiator which has ice water being pumped through it. The big coolers at OSH and other swamp coolers pass air over a very wet mat to evaporate the water. And at least in the one I made, the air passes the radiator on the way in, so it’s cold and won’t evaporate much of the water in the ice chest.

 

[Doc Holliday]

https://www.amazon.com/Compact-Refr...lt+Air+Conditioner&qid=1626131452&sr=8-3&th=1

 

[flyingron]

Actually, no. Although the air does go in and out of the cooler and over the ice/water in the bottom, the actual cooling is from air going over a radiator which has ice water being pumped through it. The big coolers at OSH and other swamp coolers pass air over a very wet mat to evaporate the water. And at least in the one I made, the air passes the radiator on the way in, so it’s cold and won’t evaporate much of the water in the ice chest.

Eh? Unless I'm missing something, that's NOT how this POS works. It get relatively cool but not frozen tap water inserted into it.

 

[Llewtrah381]

Eh? Unless I'm missing something, that's NOT how this POS works. It get relatively cool but not frozen tap water inserted into it.

From their online description it sounds just like the other ones of this nature (including the one I built) except it has Italian racing fans and two radiators instead of one (a TOTAL waste: the first thing I learned is you actually need to be able to reduce the water flow since it puts out VERY cold air and will melt the ice faster. Making the pump and fan controllable was the fix).

From their site:
“It works by circulating ice water (you add ice before use) through two evaporator cores. Air is sucked through these evaporators by an Italian racing fan, and then directed out via a flexible air spout.”

 

[Larry Wilkinson]

https://www.icybreeze.com/buy-icybreeze-v2-pro/